Why Do Geese Fly In a V?
Not everyone has seen migratory geese in their flights. They are truly amazing to behold and people can’t help but stare at the beautiful V formation that they create whenever they fly in groups. They are like fighter jets heading out to war and ready for battle.
Scientist’s believes that there are two reasons why geese fly in this formation. The first reason is because of aerodynamics and air resistance. When a group of geese fly in V formation, the lead in the group helps break down the air in their flight and makes it easier for the geese behind to follow. This saves a lot of energy for the group because the middle flyers in the formation don’t spend too much energy in their flight.
When the lead bird tires, it slows its flight a little and falls back in the formation. A new goose would then take the ‘lead, and hold the formation in place. Each bird can have the opportunity to be the lead and this makes the journey easier. This formation also allows the geese to fly longer distances before resting.
The thing that we don’t know about the geese family is the teamwork and cooperation they do in that particular formation. It is believed that when a member of that formation staggers behind or falls out of formation completely, two geese would also break out and assist the straggler. They offer him protection until he is able to fly again and rejoin the group. The same can be said when a geese is shot from the air with the use of a gun. The geese that broke the formation will stay behind with him and will rejoin the group if he dies.
The second reason is all about eye contact. Having eye contact with everyone in the group will make communications easier.
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